Paris 2024 Olympics - Track Cycling - Men's Team Pursuit, Victory Ceremony - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France - August 07, 2024. Gold medallist Oliver Bleddyn of Australia, Sam Welsford of Australia, Conor Leahy of Australia and Kelland O'brien of Australia celebrate with their medals on the podium REUTERS/Matthew Childs
SAINT QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (Reuters) - Three years after a snapped handlebar cost Australia the chance of Olympic gold at the Tokyo velodrome, two riders from that men's team pursuit squad savoured the Paris gold with new teammates on Wednesday.
Kelland O'Brien and Sam Welsford held bitter memories of the day Alex Porter's handlebar came clean off while racing at the 2020 Olympics, sending him hurtling face-first onto the boards at high speed.
It left Porter with facial abrasions and heavy bruising but no broken bones. He was able to get back on the bike, and Australia ended up taking bronze behind champions Italy and silver medallists Denmark.
Triple world champion Porter retired in 2022 but O'Brien and Welsford pushed on to Paris, forming a formidable quartet with Oliver Bleddyn and Conor Leahy.
The four beat a strong British lineup in the decider at the Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome on Wednesday to give Australia a first team pursuit gold in 20 years and ease the heartbreak of Tokyo.
A thrilled Welsford draped himself in an Australian flag as he lapped the track on his bike then pulled up to embrace his teammates and loved ones leaning over the rail from the terraces.
"I think we had a bit of scar tissue there from the last time," O'Brien told Reuters.
"I feel like today sort of confirms to us what form we were in (at Tokyo) -- but it was taken away from us a little bit with that unfortunate incident.
"So, yeah, it's good to get the monkey off our back and hopefully it sets Australia up for the next Olympics."
Victory may have been that much sweeter for the Australians given it came over Team Britain who beat Australia for gold at both the 2012 London Games and Rio 2016.
It also continued a positive start for Australia's track cyclists at the Paris Games, coming a day after the men broke a 24-year medal drought in the team sprint with bronze.
They are already a medal in front of Australia's tally in Tokyo where that hard-won bronze was the team's sole podium and the handlebar incident seen as symbolic of the nation's decline as a power in Olympic cycling.
Although Porter did not share in the gold in Paris, he and the other Tokyo bronze medallists, Leigh Howard and Luke Plapp, helped Australia secure it with advice and encouragement.
"We had a few pep-talks from the guys back home who were in the previous edition of the team pursuit," said 26-year-old O'Brien.
"The team sent us nice messages over the last couple of days to try and support us, so we're really happy with that."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Ed Osmond)
